The Grand Floridian and Polynesian Resorts at Walt Disney World
The Grand Floridian Resort stands tall in the foreground with the Polynesian Village Resort off in the distance at Walt Disney World in Florida.
While we were wandering around at the Grand Floridian, we found a door to a balcony off of the main lobby building. It wasn’t locked, so of course we went out to take in the sights. Strangely, I don’t think we had ever been out there before, even though I know we have passed by that door several times.
The balcony provided a great view of Seven Seas Lagoon and the surrounding hotels. And of course, I thought it was the perfect spot for some photos, such as this one here. I especially enjoyed the view of the Grand Floridian building with the Polynesian off in the distance. The tall, white Grand Floridian building provides a nice contrast to the shorter, darker Polynesian Village buildings.
Two different resorts with two different styles and two completely different atmospheres, even though they are relatively close to each other, just a Monorail stop away. That is, if you are going from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian. If you are starting at the Grand Floridian, then the Polynesian is a few Monorail stops away. But hey, you are riding a Monorail, so what do you have to complain about?
This photo reminds me of those old souvenir guide book photos that I used to enjoy so much. The colors, the sunlight, and the clouds all have a similar look to those old photos. And I may have processed it that way on purpose, more or less. I have several different editions of those photo books, and even though they didn’t always change all that much, it was fun to see what might be different from one to the next.
That was back in the days when there were just two parks and a few hotels, though. Do they even sell books like that any more? It would have to be a much thicker book than the thin paperback books of the old days. Of course, these days you can find all the photos you want and then some on the internet, too. So it’s not like Disney has to pay to print a book that brings them back a little bit of profit, because everyone else gives them lots of free publicity. Including me, it seems. Oh well, I don’t mind.
The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coasts and islands be glad. - Psalm 97:1
About the photo:
For most of this trip last summer, I used the 25mm prime lens, but for some shots like this one I switched to the 14-42mm zoom lens to be able to get more into the frame. You can read more about that in Finding Your Focal Length, the most recent post from Steve’s Photography Tips, by the way.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
Date: June 7, 2015
Location: Walt Disney World, Florida
